Model Reports 4 min read Updated 18 Oct 2026

Audi A4 2022: reliability & common MOT faults

In 2025, 88 in every 100 first MOTs on a 2022 Audi A4 were passes. Most common reason for a fail: Tyre condition (front).

Summary

The 2022 Audi A4 follows the pattern of the model years either side.

At a glance

How 6,332 first tests went in 2025.

Passed first time
88 in every 100
Did not pass first time
12 in every 100786 failed first-attempt tests
The typical car
3 yearsabout 28,786 miles
First tests counted
6,332

What failed most often

  1. Tyre condition (front)31 in every 100 failed tests
  2. Tyre tread depth (front)12 in every 100 failed tests
  3. Headlight aim10 in every 100 failed tests

How we count this. Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Only Class 4 cars on their first MOT of the year are counted. A car that fails and is fixed at the test station still counts as a fail in the first-attempt rate. These are raw results, not adjusted for age, mileage, or peer mix. The MOT does not test engine or gearbox internals.

Note:

These are patterns across 2022 Audi A4 vehicles in 2025, not a prediction that any one car will have them. Faults are grouped by part of the car. They come from MOT defect codes, not manufacturer bulletins, recalls or a diagnosis of any one car.

Suspension

One fault: shock absorbers (rear), 7.3 times as often as on similar cars.

Figures below are measured across the 786 failed first attempts in 2025 that had a mileage recorded, which allows a like-for-like comparison.

We only list faults with at least 20 failures and a rate of about 2.0 times that of similar cars, which keeps one-off results out of the list.

Shock absorbers (rear)

Failed on 56 first tests7.3 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

Slight seepage that leaves a film of fluid on a shock absorber does not fail it. Severe leakage, or damage so that it does not function, is Major. A shock absorber missing or likely to become detached is graded Dangerous, though a missing one is only rejected if shock absorbers were fitted as standard.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Seat belts and restraints

One fault: airbag warning light, 4.0 times as often as on similar cars.

Airbag warning light

Failed on 26 first tests4.0 times as often as similar carsPossible evidence

What it means

The airbag warning lamp (SRS MIL in DVSA's wording) is failed only if it indicates a system malfunction, which is Major. A lamp lit to show the passenger airbag is disabled is not to be regarded as a defect. Dashboard messages are not a defect in their own right, though they can help the tester confirm a malfunction.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

Noise, emissions and leaks

One fault: petrol engine warning light, 3.2 times as often as on similar cars.

Petrol engine warning light

Failed on 30 first tests3.2 times as often as similar carsLikely evidence

What it means

The malfunction indicator lamp (MIL) on a petrol engine is a Major failure when it is illuminated indicating a malfunction. The detail line DVSA gives for the same row also names an inoperative lamp. The test covers only certain petrol vehicles, depending on their age, size and fuel type.

Data: UK MOT open data, 2025. Compared with cars of the same age and mileage.

MOT pass rates

How first tests ended, and how the pass rates are counted.

Passed first time
88in every 100
Passed on the first test.
Fixed at the station
1in every 100
Failed, then fixed at the test station the same day.
Failed
11in every 100
Did not pass, and were not fixed at the test station.

First-attempt pass 87.6% of 6,332 first tests (2025): only cars that passed first time count. Official-style pass 89.4%: cars fixed at the test station also count as a pass. The 1 fixed and the 11 not fixed make the 12 in every 100 that did not pass first time.

Petrol and diesel

First testsTypical mileagePassed first time, as testedPassed first time, same mileage
Petrol4,87127,080 miles8888
Diesel1,42437,224 miles8688

Figures are in every 100 first tests. Cars with more miles usually fail more often, so the same-mileage figure gives every fuel the mileage mix of all the cars in this year.

Same model, other years

Passed first time in every 100, all tested in 2025.

40608010020002005201020152022Older cars
406080100200020102022Older cars

Newer cars are younger, so look for a jump rather than the climb.

YearPassed first timeFirst tests
199864 in every 100364
199962 in every 100591
200061 in every 100723
200163 in every 100659
200261 in every 1001,406
200361 in every 1002,678
200462 in every 1004,784
200562 in every 1005,426
200662 in every 1009,953
200764 in every 10011,899
200862 in every 10012,492
200964 in every 10010,978
201066 in every 10011,589
201168 in every 10012,652
201271 in every 10012,475
201372 in every 10015,094
201473 in every 10015,932
201574 in every 10015,482
201678 in every 10020,832
201779 in every 10020,081
201880 in every 10012,882
201984 in every 10012,510
202087 in every 1008,075
202188 in every 1006,782
2022 This car88 in every 1006,332

If you are buying one

What this year's MOT record means for the decision in front of you.

Mileage matters most on a 2022 Audi A4.

Of 2022 Audi A4 vehicles with under 19,000 miles, 91 in every 100 passed their 2025 MOT first time. With 42,000 miles or more, 83 in every 100 did.

Under 19,0001,252 tests
91
19,000–26,0001,356 tests
89
26,000–32,000 Typical car1,146 tests
89
32,000–42,0001,319 tests
87
42,000 and over1,259 tests
83

What to check at your mileage

How often each fault turned up on a failed first test, by the car's mileage. Read it as: what is likely to need looking at on a car like the one in front of you.

Under 19,00026,000–32,00042,000 and over
Tyre condition (front)3.43.64.4
Tyre tread depth (front)0.91.03.1
Headlight aim1.21.11.2
Shock absorbers (rear)0.41.01.4

Faults per 100 first tests, by the car's mileage at the test.

When a car fails

54in every 100

of failed cars had one item to fix.

18in every 100

of failed cars had three or more items to fix.

6in every 100

of all first tests had a defect the tester marked dangerous (unsafe to drive away).

Every figure here is a first-attempt MOT rate from DVSA open data for this model line, for cars of this model year tested in 2025. Each mileage band holds a fifth of the tests. MOTs do not test engine or gearbox internals, so this is a pre-purchase checklist, not a full reliability score.

FAQs

Short answers about how to read this model-year guide.

The 2022 Audi A4 follows the pattern of the model years either side. Its main cause of failure was Tyre condition (front), about 31 in every 100 failed tests. In 2025, 87.6% of 6,332 first MOTs on the 2022 Audi A4 passed first time (PRS: items fixed at the station the same day, counted as a fail). The official-style rate including PRS is 89.4%. Among 786 failed first-attempt MOT tests (test year 2025), Shock absorbers (rear) appears more often than on similar cars (7.1% of those tests; 56 observed failures; about 7.3× more often than similar cars). There is no single reliability score here; this is a pre-purchase checklist built from DVSA open data, not a guarantee for any individual car.
Ranked by how often they were actually recorded, the items that most often failed a 2022 Audi A4 at the first attempt were Tyre condition (front) (30.9%), Tyre tread depth (front) (12.2%) and Headlight aim (10.3%), each as a share of the year's failed first attempts. That is what goes wrong most often on the car. The common faults table shows a different measure: faults that are unusual compared with similar cars.
Among failed first-attempt tests we highlight patterns that appear more often than on similar cars. Top example: Shock absorbers (rear) (7.1% of those tests; 56 observed failures; about 7.3× more often than similar cars). These are statistical signals, not a diagnosis of any individual car.
Shock absorbers (rear) shows up more often than on similar cars (7.1% of those tests; 56 observed failures; about 7.3× more often than similar cars). That does not prove a design fault. Age, mileage, and how the car was used still matter. Treat it as a pre-purchase checkpoint, not a manufacturer service bulletin.
Common MOT problem areas for the 2022 Audi A4 include Shock absorbers (rear), Airbag warning light, Petrol engine warning light. These are the faults that stand out compared with similar cars, not a complete list of what can go wrong on any individual car.
This page highlights MOT failure patterns for the 2022 Audi A4 (registration year) using UK DVSA open data for the selected test year. Patterns are compared with cars of a similar age and mileage. It is a buyer checklist from MOT defect statistics, not a full service history or manufacturer service-bulletin list.
No. MOT tests do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronic modules. Patterns here come from MOT defect statistics only and should not be read as engine or gearbox reliability scores.

About this data

How this page is built and what it can (and can't) say.

These figures come from UK MOT open data for this model year. We surface common failure patterns against similar cars, not a full reliability score, and not a pass/fail verdict on any individual vehicle.

2024 2025

What we include

UK Class 4 cars only. Normal MOT tests (not retests); first test per vehicle per calendar year; results pass, PRS, or fail.

Same-day repairs

PRS means the car failed items that were fixed at the test station and then passed the same day. We count PRS as a first-attempt fail in headline rates so same-day repairs do not hide problems.

How we compare

We compare this model year with other Class 4 cars of similar age and mileage in the same test year. This model family is left out of the peer group so the car is not measured against itself.

What this does not cover

  • MOTs do not cover engine internals, gearboxes, or many electronics; this is not a full reliability score.
  • Common faults come from MOT defect stats, not manufacturer TSBs or recalls.
  • Age and mileage matching reduces, but does not remove, differences in how cars were used and maintained.
  • If the data for a car is too thin to say anything useful, we say so rather than guess.

Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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